Let’s start right off with the biggest myth of all.
Myth #1: Business is not creative.
It’s number crunching. It’s suits and ties. It’s not fun.
Truth: Having a business is a creative act. (And fun!)
As a business owner, you’re in constant relationship with creativity. You create answers to problems. You create offerings and client solutions. You create systems and marketing to run your business smoothly and bring your work to the attention of more people.
Myth #2: Your creativity should always flow like a river during rainy season.
Like any relationship, your relationship with your creativity shifts. It ebbs and flows. One hour, it’s all flow-y and pouring out of you. The next, it’s like having your hair pulled through those teeny-tiny holes in hair highlight caps – painful and tedious (if you’ve never had your hair highlighted, believe me on this one).
Myth #3: Only the inspired moments are ‘real’ creativity.
I’ve had clients say to me, well, if it’s not coming out of me spontaneously, it wasn’t meant to be created, right? Maybe I should wait until inspiration strikes.
The trouble with waiting is, inspiration may never find you while you’re sitting still. That’s not how it works. Creativity can be, and often is, a product of consistent action.
Myth #4: Creativity, when done right, is easy.
It’s tempting to think that creativity, if nurtured and indulged, will always be easy. That’s the fantasy, right?
The inspired creator churning out painting after painting, or program after program, all with the greatest of ease and delight. Her delicate muse sitting on her shoulder, whispering sweet encouragements and ideas, which then pour out of the creator fully formed.
The reality is, sometimes you have to create whether you feel like it or not. Whether you feel inspired or not. Whether your muse is on your shoulder or on vacation.
This is not a bad thing. It means you can be creative any time. And it’s not necessarily easy.
Myth #5: You are either creative or you’re not.
Whew, this is such a damaging myth! We are all creative beings. We can hardly stop from creating, even in our sleep, where we create dreams.
What you can do is help your natural creativity along. Be nice to it. Respect it. Even love it.
You can nurture it along, to make the work easier. It’s easier to be creative when you’re taking great care of yourself: the usual self-care triad of sleep, healthy food, exercise. All good stuff to take care of your body and soul.
But there’s more to nurturing creativity than looking after you, a creator. Creativity is an energy that has its own life. When it comes calling, choosing to engage with it is your choice. Engaging with it is the act of the creator (that’s you).
To keep engaged with it, to keep creating, requires acts of discipline. Not a popular word in many circles. Sounds rigid and unyielding. Maybe even detrimental.
Things you create out of necessity, even in a rush, are no less a reflection of your creativity than the inspired moments. The urgency of a timeline can be very focusing. It lets you be less self-indulgent, more essential.
I recently rose Lazarus-like from my sickbed to give a talk at a conference, as I was scheduled to do. I had spent the previous 3 days in bed with the flu in my hotel room, alternately watching HGTV (I never watch TV) and napping (ok, sometimes I nap). When I got up to give my talk, I wasn’t sure I could do it.
It was one of the best talks I’ve ever given.
I’m not advocating getting sick as a way to focus, but my limited energy is a good metaphor for the creating we can do when we’re pressed for time and energy.
Myths can lead you astray, and the myths around creativity are rampant. Here’s the thing: you’re creative, whether you try to be or not. The question then is, what could you do in your business if you debunk the myths, nurture your creativity, and take disciplined action?
Starting to see the possibilities? Can’t wait to see what you do!
Have you ever created something you’re really proud of even when it wasn’t easy? Share it with us.
___________
Here’s your Alchemy Assignment, your chance to transform what you learned in this article into awareness and action for you and your business:
Which one of the 5 creativity myths is most active in you? Take some undistracted time to explore it. What if you believed the opposite? What would that mean for your business? Write down the ideas that come to you when you answer that question. You’ll be surprised by what opens